Search form

Search form

Teachers at an Illinois magnet school are taking a high-tech approach to professional development by accessing online lessons at iTunes U, where teachers can complete training at their own pace. Chrissie Edwards, an instructional-technology coach, said teachers are notified via their iPads after she uploads materials to the site. "It's differentiated instruction," said Rida Ellis, an instructional coach.

Related Summaries

An Illinois school district was able to continue its adult-education department with the return of state funding. The department offers bridge and job-skills classes and training to adults and their employers.

A group of teacher-coaches in an Illinois school district used observations and data collected during 344 classroom visits to create a professional-development plan for the district. Along with mentoring and training educators on areas such as differentiated instruction and collaboration, the coaches are seeking more involvement in training during teacher orientation and early-release days.

An Illinois school that experimented with letting students run parent-teacher conferences last year is repeating the practice after it was so well-received. Students track their progress and prepare presentations to explain their achievements and areas where they need to improve.

An Illinois school district is seeking to close the achievement gap in math among minority students. This summer, the district hosted Operation Calculus -- a four-week program in which students were given a head start on the math curriculum. "I came back to school knowing the information, and have been helping other students that didn't do math this summer," student Maressa Brown said.

An Illinois high school launched a summer program -- Operation Calculus -- to help give black students enrolling in advanced math in the fall a solid foundation for success. District data show more black students drop out of advanced math classes than their peers, and officials hope the program can help reverse that trend. Student participation in the four-week program was voluntary.